ENGLISH 102/19

Discussion questions on “New Studies Link Excessive Facebook Use to Depression”

1. What is the thesis (main idea) of the article? (3pnts.)

2. What is the purpose of the article? (to argue, to inform, to entertain-about what
specifically?) (3pnts.)

3. How reliable is the evidence given in the article? What makes it reliable or unreliable?
(2pnts.)

4. Who does the intended audience consist of? (2pnts.)

5. What is the difference between correlation and cause-effect the article discusses? How
does it affect the conclusion the author makes about Facebook? (2pnts.)

6. In the middle of the article, the author asks: “Which came first, excessive Facebook use,
loneliness, poor sleep quality or depression?” Why does he pose that question? How
does he answer it? (2pnts.)

7. What relation between excessive Facebook use and depression does the title suggest?
Considering the content of the article, what would be a better title/ (2pnts.)

8. According to the author, what has research so far determined about Facebook
addiction? What still needs to be investigated? (2pnts.)

9. Given the solution the author gives at the end of the article, how serious does he think
the problem of Facebook addiction is? (2pnts.)

10. BONUS QUESTION. Why does the author mention research on tobacco companies at the
beginning? What assumption could he be making? (2pnts.)